This past week Matt tackled the Shop Raptor's A-Pillar lights! SDHQ sent us some insanely over-built light mounts for the 'Ditch Light'/A-Pillar location, so we had to install them for a bit of extra visibility! The install was not very difficult at all and should be a breeze for anyone with the tools to do it. Getting the brackets perfectly into position took a little finessing, but the entire process took under two hours including wiring up the Baja Designs lights. This combination is rugged, durable, conveniently compact and cuts through the fog very effectively, making sure we can see what’s waiting for us on the side of the road! We’re really getting to test them with these hazy early New England winter nights.
The build quality and fit and finish are top-notch on these A-Pillar Light Mounts. They are 'SDHQ Built', part of SDHQ's in-house manufacturing line, and these guys always know how to design long-lasting reliable solutions for off-roaders! These ‘ditch light brackets’ are nothing like that cheap Amazon junk you’ve seen. The brackets feel like 11ga. or 10ga. steel and are powder coated with a durable, thick texture black finish similar to what we use on our MOLLE Panels. These mounts are so beefy - they even have their own smaller support/positioning brackets! (We heard you love brackets SO much, we made you little brackets for you to mount to your light brackets!)
SDHQ also provides a thorough hardware kit, making sure you’re using all new nuts, bolts and washers for the install. Everything in the kit is either stainless or zinc plated and threads up perfectly... we appreciate the little stuff like that! From quality hardware kits to their signed packing list, SDHQ's attention to detail goes a long way. This all ensured a smooth install, and once Matt was done we could've almost been convinced someone could stand on the mounts because of how rigid they are. Shoutout again to SDHQ for partnering with us on our Raptor Build Series with these badass F-150/Raptor A-Pillar Light Mounts, thanks guys!
Our BuiltRight Perfect-Fit Stubby Antenna also made a couple appearances in this video, click here to learn more about this awesome little upgrade! Folks who run larger lights or accessories that a classic whip antenna might contact and bounce off, or anyone just looking for a sleek, low-profile look instead of a silver waving wire will love our Stubby Antennas - and they're always a perfect fit! If yours isn't, reach out to our Customer Service Manager, Matt Homes by emailing support@builtrightind.com and he will get any antenna issues sorted out. And yes, for those of you who didn't get the memo last year, we DO sell a 'Nerf Dart' Stubby Antenna for F-150/Raptor (2009+), Super Duty (2017+) Bronco (2021+), and one for Jeep Wrangler and Gladiator JT/JL (2007-2024).
Matt dug through our in-house stash of off-road lights and landed on a pair of favorites for the truck, Baja Designs Squadron Sports with Amber Wide Cornering lenses. We love these lights, but might end up switching them out for something bigger in the future like Baja Designs’ XL80. So Matt's wiring harness ended up being a little more temporary than usual, but it's tidy, runs through the stock auxiliary upfitter switches and does the job perfectly. We opted for a split wire loom rather than the usual Techflex due to the temporary nature of this install - we’ll be overhauling the truck's lighting with Baja Designs goodies very soon. We highly recommend this combination of parts from our friends at SDHQ and Baja Designs!
Watch the full installation and results of our foggy night test below:
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